Mazda's Bland 626 - The Roadiem Writeoff

Introduction

I often try to edit my Epinions by considering them as I think a respected writer in that category might. Thus, I won’t post a movie review if I wouldn’t be proud to have Grouch read it nor a music review that I wouldn’t feel comfortable reading aloud to Kristina, SparkOSpunky or Wolfman309. You get the idea. I’m certainly not going to list the world although there are a bunch of others whom I could easily name.

But autos belonged to Mike Lambert, also known online as Roadiem.

Over time, we built an online friendship borne of a shared medical condition, positions in the auto industry and a love of music. His exuberance and wit was legendary to Epinions regulars. Even the most cynical and jaded of us, okay, I’m talking about me, couldn’t help but smile when a note or Yahoo IM praised a review, particularly an auto review. The most bitter irony for me is that I spent days driving this car in late March and took copious notes, ready to post a review when I thought I could write it to Roadiem spec. True to form, I even made three separate notes about the cornering and steering. As many of you know, Mike passed away this month at the dreadfully young age of 41. This review is written as part of a write-off, and all proceeds will go to his family. Please visit Wolfman309’s profile page for a completely updated list of participants. As of today, they are:

bjcuevas, naphtalia, seether166, sherrylee, mattjoe, viper1963, gollygumdrops, noniaBidnis, nightshade_01, obnox, hawkseafan, yyvonne, diverpam, t-hall, mtuairau, jennifa, pperky1954, hnnygrlca, rcknrbn3, midoyle, charlenep, lattechick, garfield12, bgoodday, chrisceb, alwaysstubborn, nwinston, hirohito99, sweetcece, theworm, ginahill, jpmcgurk, tiffer0220, juliette, elorraine, imames, pipet, sparkospunky, disartain, linda527, lisa_j, lgcurcio, kristinafh, tgreenway, pambo, friskycelery, tjarnold, i_culookn, todd, teddiec, darbywalters, wolfman309, emeleel, joubert, technologyrep, gamblinfamily, smithwoodside, daturawest, angelmommy, liberator76, hadassahchana, lark729_89, missy32, blonbabydawn, bryrose, merlot and ladyvamp.

The Car

400 miles of twisting eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina mountain roads gave me an appreciation for the 2001 Mazda 626 ES. The car rides smooth, corners like a dream and hugs the road as well as anything in its class. Steep downgrades and hairpin curves at three thousand feet will cause one to take note of these features so imagine how they’ll react on the average interstate off-ramp. Toss in classic looks and styling, some new safety features, four doors and you’ve got yourself a pretty good family sedan.

The Drive

Smooth ride was the second note I made. MacPherson struts and the suspension system Mazda now shares with some Ford models help the 626 glide through sharp corners. The car is actually the shortest and lightest of the midsize sedans by a good margin, weighing 200-300 pounds less than the Camry, Accord, Galant and others in its class. The height disparity isn’t as pronounced, but the 626 is shorter than the others, especially the Taurus which is the behemoth of the class.

Despite its size, the Highway Loss Data Institute gave the Mazda 626 its best ratings in all categories except structure/cage and head/neck injuries, which received acceptable ratings. As a rule, these sedans tend to do well in such tests. There are exceptions, of course, but the three comparison vehicles I’ve listed all do well in these tests and receive acceptable or good overall ratings.

The 626 did less well on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s crash tests, particularly for side impact, but still did very well overall. Given that side air bags are only an option, this may be the vehicle’s only safety hole.

I noted that the side and rear mirrors gave very good coverage with no blind spots.

The 626 accelerates smoothly if a bit slowly. A Camry or an Accord will leave it in the dust when starting from a light since both offer 20% more torque in their 4 cylinder comparables. Still, when rolling the vehicle certainly acquits itself well on the highway and reaches acceptable speeds, even in rural areas where interstate traffic moves at 80 mph plus.

Creature Comforts

One never knows what strange product features will entice buyers. A vehicle feature I’ve always enjoyed is the oscillating air conditioning vents found in the 626 and other vehicles. A motorized flap slowly moves the vent’s guide from left to right so that one specific area isn’t blasted with cold or warm air. The climate controls are also solid in this model and don’t require a NASA scientist to decipher.

The 626 is relatively roomy and again compares favorably in every category with comparable vehicles. This is where you can’t trust the stats, though, and must actually drive the car to appreciate its idiosyncrasies. I found that the driver’s legroom was somewhat uncomfortable, particularly after 30 or 40 straight miles. The stats say that there is just as much if not more legroom in the 626 than in the other vehicles. Perhaps the angle of the center console cuts into what I consider my space or I could have done a better job adjusting the seat in its myriad of positions. I still think it was the angle, however, but that’s really the only uncomfortable aspect I found.

With four doors, there was plenty of room in the back for two, possibly three adults and generous amounts of headroom all around. The stock stereo system is fine with speakers factory-upgradeable to Bose. Of particular interest was the fact that the CD played remarkably well, whether at highway speed or taking a mountain corner at 5 miles per hour.

Overall

I like this car because it offers good performance in a variety of areas. Not overly stylish, the design is perfectly acceptable. And while not winning any races, the engine is smooth and powerful for its size – a good 10% smaller than the Camry’s 4 cylinder with less horsepower and torque. There aren’t an abundance of gadgets, but enough to keep one happy and comfortable, particularly the driver’s seat controls and extra console room for stashing away all sorts of stuff we used to put in the glove compartment.

Price is probably the big differentiator. When all things are equal, a phrase my economist friends use before they make such statements, the 626 is not a bargain. List price is much more than the Camry or Accord and their residual value is much greater. Since economists don’t rule the world, you’ll want to comparison shop hard. Would I purchase a Mazda 626 over the Camry, Accord or Galant? No. But at two thousand dollars less, the differences narrow. So it’s not a bad car, just a little pricey.

© 2001 Joubert.

Links of Interest

Wolfman309’s Profile Page with updated participant list
http://www.epinions.com/user-wolfman309

Mazda’s 626 Page
http://mazdausa.com/626/

Federal NHTSA Crash Tests for the Mazda 626
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/ncap/cars/1575.html

Highway Data Loss Institute Crash Tests for the Mazda 626
http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle%5Fratings/ce/html/99024.htm